


Sugar and Spice || Remile

by ChelleBug



Category: Cartoon Therapy (Web Series), Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Break Up, Crying, Depressed Deceit | Janus Sanders, Depressed Sleep | Remy Sanders, Depression, Everyone Is Gay, Exes, Gay Panic, M/M, Name-Calling, Neglect, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Pet Names, Self-Hatred, Swearing, Therapy, death mention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:22:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26017231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChelleBug/pseuds/ChelleBug
Summary: Remy Knight has just been broken up with and kicked out of the house because of his abusive boyfriend. He went to live with his cousin, but after not doing anything to help around the house, his cousin forces him to get a job.Emile Picani is a well-known therapist, known for helping children, teens, adults, and couples. He lives alone in his house with two Border Collies named Ruby and Sapphire, the names coming from his favorite TV Show.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Dr. Emile Picani/Sleep | Remy Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 11





	1. { 1 }

**Warnings: Ex-boyfriend mention, drunk mention, abuse mention, yelling, swearing, breakup mention, a knife (just for chopping up vegetables), slight name-calling, death mention, slight crying (only a few tears).**

~~~~~~~~~~

The clock ticked as the door to the house opened, Virgil scrambling inside with his bags and stuff from work.

"I'm home!" He called to his cousin, looking around.

"Jeez, don't yell... can't you see that I'm trying to get some actual sleep?" A voice groaned from the couch. Virgil huffed, shoving his stuff into a recliner and turning towards the couch.

"Uh, yeah, I can. What the fuck have you been doing all day?" Virgil started to raise his voice, placing his hands on his hips.

"Texting my friends, duh... what else could I have been doing?" Remy rolled his eyes from under his sunglasses.

"You could've been doing what I asked for you to do, which is clean... the fucking... house!" Virgil yelled, "I can't have you barging up in here, looking for a place to live just because your ex-boyfriend was an asshole and kicked you out of his house because he broke up with you and was drunk. You have to do more stuff other than slouching around and sulking all week."

"I'm not sulking..." Remy muttered, "It's hard to get over a breakup, you know..."

"Yes, I know... Remy, just please, when I ask you something... just do as you're told. You're my cousin and I know you're afraid to face things happening in the world, but you have to stand up and fight back for things you like."

Remy was silent, the clock ticking on the wall. Remy looked at Virgil and heaved a sigh.

"Y-You're right... I can't sit around and do nothing... I'll clean tomorrow, okay?" Remy looked up at his cousin.

"You better..." Virgil playfully threatened as he ruffled Remy's hair and took his bags to his room.

Remy smiled a bit, knowing that his cousin was always going to be there for him even through his emotional moments.

"You also better get a job soon!" Virgil called from his bedroom. He walked out of his bedroom and to the kitchen, getting out some vegetables and a knife.

"Yeah, yeah... I know." Remy rolled his eyes once more as he got up from the couch. He walked to the kitchen, "Whatcha making?"

"Stir fry, now get the peppers out, I need them as well," Virgil said, chopping up the onion.

"The green ones?" Remy questioned as he opened the fridge.

"What else?" Virgil answered sarcastically.

"Jeez... okay, here they are," Remy said, putting the peppers on the table, "Wait... you got three peppers..."

"Yeah, so what?" Virgil asked.

"Is there someone coming over for dinner?"

"Yeah, just Roman, Logan, Patton, and Emile," Virgil said.

"Emile...? I haven't met them before... do I know them?"

"Nope, I just wanted him to meet you." Virgil started to chop up the peppers.

"Why me?"

"I dunno... I just figured you guys were complete opposites, so why not have you two meet each other?"

"Oh..."

"Is that a problem?"

"Nope." Remy shook his head.

"Alright then. Get the chicken, oil, and a pan out."

~~~~~

As Virgil set the stir fry on the table, the doorbell rang.

"Can you get that?" Virgil asked.

"Sure." Remy shrugged and walked into the living room to the door. He looked through the peephole and saw four people standing there. Remy opened the door, knowing who three of the people were, "Hey, everyone."

"Hi, Remy!" Patton smiled.

Remy let them through. He looked at the person who he hadn't seen before. As the person walked passed, Remy smelled the faint aroma of peppermint. He was almost entranced by it if not for Virgil yelling his name.

"Remy, get your ass in here!" Virgil yelled from the kitchen.

Remy shook his head and slowly closed the door, the peppermint scent still lingering.

"Language, kiddo!" Patton scolded and sat down on the couch. Logan also sat down. Remy wandered into the kitchen and saw Roman and the new person.

 _'I'm guessing that's Emile... he smells of peppermint...'_ Remy thought, gazing at Emile.

"Remy, you gonna help me with the plates or not?" Virgil asked.

"O-Oh...! Uh, yeah..." Remy muttered, grabbing a plate.

~~~~~

Remy sat down in the living room with everyone else. Virgil sat next to Roman. Patton sat next to Logan. That left Remy to sit next to Emile.

Remy and Emile hadn't spoken to each other at all, just eating their stir fry silently. Virgil stared at them, looking at Remy expectantly.

Remy glanced back at Virgil. Virgil just glanced at Emile and back at Remy. Remy glanced at Emile and back at Virgil and shrugged his shoulders.

Virgil softly sighed and rubbed his temple.

"Emile," Virgil spoke up, causing Emile to look up at him, "That is Remy. Remy, that is Emile. Will you two talk to each other or what?"

Everyone started to get into their conversations while Remy and Emile just stared at their plates of food.

"So... Remy, what do you do?" Emile asked, looking over at Remy.

"As like a job?" Remy asked. Emile nodded. Remy sighed, "I don't have one, but I'm hoping to get one soon."

"Awesome. I'm a therapist." Emile smiled.

"Well, you're too adorable to be one..." Remy muttered. Emile blushed, looking at Remy in shock. Remy must have said what he thought and sighed, "S-Sorry... that was supposed to stay in my head..."

"I-It's fine." Emile giggled a bit, "Your turn to ask a question."

"Alright... do you have any pets?" Remy asked.

Emile's eyes sparkled, "Yep! Two Border Collies. They're named Ruby and Sapphire."

"Hah, just like Steven Universe," Remy smirked.

"You know of that show...?" Emile questioned.

"I've only seen a couple of seasons of it... only like three seasons." Remy put his plate on the coffee table along with Emile's.

Emile gasped and grasped Remy's hands, "You need to see the rest of it!"

Everyone had turned to look at them after Emile's little outburst.

Emile glanced around and laughed a bit, "Sorry..."

Virgil only dismissed it with a wave of his hand. Then he glanced at Remy, smirking slightly before returning to his conversation with Roman.

"U-Uh... here's my number." Emile handed Remy a slip of paper, "If you need anything, don't be afraid to call."

"Alright, babe." Remy smiled and took it.

~~~~~

"So... you and Emile..." Virgil smirked as he sat down after escorting his friends out of the house.

"So... you and Roman..." Remy mocked, also with a smirk.

"...Goodnight, asshole." Virgil frowned, shoving a blanket towards Remy and walking away. Remy caught the blanket and moved a hand through his black messy hair, sighing softly.

"Goodnight, bitch." Remy muttered, knowing that Virgil couldn't hear him since he had walked to his room. He smiled to himself and laid down on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

He thought about Emile for a while, his mind drifting to the way Emile smiled, laughed, and the way he smelled of peppermint...

Remy loved the smell of peppermint since his mother had also smelled of peppermint.

It brought back memories...

 _'I miss you, mom... but I just know you're in a better place...'_ Remy thought and he pulled the blanket over himself and turned onto his side, closing his eyes and letting a few tears escape them.


	2. { 2 }

**Warnings: Neglected puppy, depressed Janus, self-deprecating stuff, Janus talks bad about himself a lot.**

~~~~~~~~~~

Remy looked through the adverts on the computer as well as various newspapers.

"Hm... how about-" Virgil got cut off by Remy.

"The jobs you have recommended to me so far have sucked, what makes you think that the one that you were about to say doesn't suck?" Remy asked.

"...What about barista?" Virgil asked.

Remy groaned, not fully hearing him, "I told you that I don't like your rec- wait, barista?"

"Yeah, they are hiring baristas at your favorite coffee shop." Virgil pointed to an advert on the computer.

"O. M. G. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Remy yelled as he hugged his cousin tightly.

"O-Ow... you're welcome, Remy..." Virgil wheezed. Remy let go of him, letting Virgil catch his breath.

"Come on, we need to call in for an interview." Remy shuffled in his seat, getting his phone out of his pocket and dialing the number.

Virgil smiled slightly, finally happy that his cousin found a potential job.

~~~~~

Emile was running behind schedule. He decided to just call his brother, Cupid.

"Cupid, I need you to drive me to work..." Emile sighed.

"Be there in a bit, hun," Cupid said through the phone.

Ten minutes later, a black and pink Honda Acura rolled up as Emile looked at it, confused. The window rolled down and Emile saw his brother, Cupid.

"When did you get this car?" Emile asked.

"Who cares when I got it, just get in; the other two are waiting." Cupid gestured to the back seat. Emile pulled the door opened and saw his other brothers, Eli and Cyrus.

Cyrus was in the passenger seat and Eli was in the back. Emile climbed in and shut the door, turning to his brothers.

"Why are you guys here?" Emile asked.

"Cupid is taking us out to lunch soon!" Eli said.

"Lunch...?" Emile looked at Cupid suspiciously.

"Yeah, he's taking us to the Black Lily Cafe!" Eli nodded.

"Huh... that's awfully sweet of him." Emile muttered. He wasn't used to Cupid doing things for his brothers, so what changed? That's when it hit him, _'Does he have a crush?'_

"Alright, Emi, we're here," Cupid said, taking a turn into the parking lot and stopping by the front doors.

"Oh, alright. Have fun, you three. Cyrus, make sure they stay out of trouble." Emile said, opening the door.

"Got it." Cyrus waved a bit to his brother as Emile got out and closed the door.

The car pulled away and Emile walked into the building. He glanced at the clock on the wall. He was five minutes late, but nothing too terrible. His first client would come in less than thirty minutes.

Emile smiled and walked into his office.

~~~~~

Remy walked out of the manager's office and finally released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

 _'I think I did alright...'_ Remy thought as he glanced around the coffee shop. He saw three boys who looked as if they could be Emile's relatives.

Remy brushed it off and walked past them, walking out of the building with a slight smile on his face. He dialed Virgil's number but stopped halfway when he heard a whimper right next to him. He looked down and his eyes widened once he saw a skinny German Shepherd puppy.

"You poor thing..." Remy muttered. He looked around and figured that the puppy needed something to eat and then needed some medical attention. Remy kneeled down, "Stay right here, I'll get you something to eat."

Remy walked back into the coffee shop and ordered a sandwich that had meat in it. He didn't know if it was safe but still ordered it. He thanked the employee and paid her extra, just saying to keep the change.

He walked back out and saw the puppy sniffing around. Remy smiled slightly and went up to it.

"Hey, you hungry?" Remy kneeled down and opened the brown bag that had the sandwich. The puppy barked happily as Remy slowly removed the chicken from the sandwich. He slowly tore it into pieces and placed them in front of the puppy, "There you go, cutie."

The puppy happily ate the cooked chicken after carefully sniffing it.

Remy watched it with a smile. He took his phone out of his pocket and searched for close vets around the cafe.

He found one that took ten minutes to walk to, but he didn't care. After the puppy ate, Remy scooped it up and started walking.

~~~~~

Emile stretched out a bit and stood up from his seat. It was a slow day for him and he was somewhat bored.

He glanced around the room and just decided to message Logan. As he was texting Logan, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Emile called as he put his phone down. He grabbed his notepad and pencil as his appointment came in, "Hello, Janus! Take a seat."

Janus slowly closed the door and took a seat on the couch.

"So, how are things? Are you still sad about the breakup?" Emile asked.

Janus nodded a bit, "I'm still... shaken up about it as well... h-he abused me and I did nothing about it..."

"But your friend did do something about it, right?" Emile questioned.

"Y-Yeah..." Janus muttered.

It was silent between them for a bit when Janus spoke up suddenly.

"What's it like?" He asked.

"What?" Emile raised an eyebrow.

"What's it like being loved...? What's it like to actually be with someone...? What's it like to be happy...?" Janus looked at Emile in the eyes, his voice wavering.

"What are you not happy with?" Emile frowned.

"Ev-Everything... I want to feel loved, but how can I do that when no one loves me?" Janus shrunk in on himself.

"Jan... I can think of one person in your life who loves you."

"Wh-Who?"

"Remus."

"R-Remus...? N-No... he doesn't."

"He called the police on your ex-boyfriend who _abused_ you. I've also seen the way he looks at you. It's obvious he loves you."

Janus was silent for a moment, then spoke up, "Th-Thanks, Dr. Picani..."

"No problem, hun." Emile smiled a bit.

~~~~~

"The stray is going to be transported to an animal shelter and will hopefully be adopted by a family soon." The lady said.

"Alright, thank you." Remy nodded and left the building.

Remy felt something in his heart that told him to adopt the stray, but he decided against it since he didn't know what Virgil thought of it. Maybe he wouldn't mind, but Remy wanted to make sure it was fine before adopting a puppy.

He walked home just as it began to rain a bit. He sighed as he realized he had forgotten an umbrella at home. He then stopped as he noticed a familiar person.

Emile.

He smiled a bit and walked up to him. Emile was holding a pink umbrella over his head. It had colorful little stars all over it. Remy coughed, making Emile jump slightly and look behind him.

"Oh, hey, Remy!" Emile smiled and held his umbrella over both of their heads. Remy was a bit taller than Emile, but they made it work somehow. They continued to walk.

"How are you doing, babe?" Remy asked.

"I'm doing great! How about you?" Emile questioned.

"Eh, could be gayer honestly." Remy winked at Emile from under his sunglasses.

Emile giggled and said, "Anything could be gayer."

"True." Remy nodded and smiled a bit.

They kept talking until they got to Remy's house.

"Well, I'll see you soon, Remy." Emile grinned.

"I look forward to it, hun," Remy said and walked up to his house and unlocked the door. He opened it and waved a bit to Emile before stepping inside and closing the door.

Remy dried off with a towel and sat down on the couch, head in hands.

He thought of the events of that day and smiled, "What an eventful day..."


	3. { 3 }

**Warnings: Swearing, clumsy puppy.**

~~~~~~~~~~

"Remy, do you have any idea what it takes to take care of an animal?" Virgil asked.

"Yes, I do!" Remy yelled, "Just please let me adopt him!"

"What breed is this puppy anyway?"

"German Shepherd," Remy said.

"Alright, German Shepherds can be gentle, assertive, alert, stubborn, docile, devoted, curious, compliant, and calm... think you can handle it?" Virgil questioned with his hands on his hips.

"Of course I can." Remy rolled his eyes.

"Fine, you can adopt him, but you have to take care of him," Virgil said.

"Yes, thank you!" Remy hugged Virgil and he ran out of the house to buy stuff for the puppy.

~~~~~

Remy buckled a collar on his new puppy. It had the name _'Topaz'_ dangling from it.

"Thank you so much," Remy said.

"No problem, kid." Said the guy.

Remy attached the leash to the collar and stood up. Remy and Topaz made their way out of the store.

"I got everything for you at my place. Virgil should be working, so we'll have the place to ourselves." Remy muttered to mostly himself.

"Remy!" A voice yelled.

Remy turned and saw Emile. Remy waited for him as Topaz ran up to the new person that smelled of peppermint.

"Aw, hi there, cutie!" Emile cooed, kneeling down to pet him. He looked up at Remy, "Is it yours?"

"Yeah, his name is Topaz." Remy smiled a bit as Topaz licked Emile's face.

Emile giggled, "He's so cute!"

Emile stood up and wiped his face off with his sleeve.

"Going anywhere, Emile?" Remy asked.

"Not really. I'm just wandering around, mostly." Emile smiled.

"Care to come to my place?" Remy questioned, trying to be a gentleman.

"You don't have to be so formal, you know... will Virgil mind?" Emile raised an eyebrow, silently squealing as Topaz was nuzzling his shoes.

"I don't think so, come on. I also got ingredients to make smoothies." Remy said.

"Ooh, fun!" Emile intertwined his arm with Remy's and they walked to Remy's house.

~~~~~

Once they got home, Remy released Topaz from the leash and he ran to his new doggy bed. Remy and Emile went into the kitchen and got out the fruit and ice for smoothies.

"One cup of crimson seedless grapes, one cup of fresh strawberries, one peeled banana, and one cup of ice cubes." Remy listed as he put all of the ingredients in the blender. Emile put the lid on it.

"Sounds lovely!" Emile smiled.

"Yep, now which one is the blending button...?" Remy muttered. He pressed a button and the ingredients started to blend. Remy held the lid on.

After a few moments, Remy stopped it and took the lid off, seeing that it was blended.

"There we go," Remy said and grabbed two cups from the cabinet. He placed them on the table as he unplugged the blender.

Topaz was sitting in the kitchen, watching as his owner and the mysterious person poured their drinks. Topaz hopped onto a chair when they turned away. And then he hopped onto the table. He sniffed the blender and started pawing at it, shifting the blender closer to the edge of the table. Topaz got up on his hind legs, but missed the top of the blender and hit the side of it, causing him to push the blender off of the table. Remy had turned around and instantly got hit with the blender, getting smoothie all over him.

"Shit!" Remy yelled as he looked at the mess, "Oh, no... Virgil is going to be pissed."

"Don't worry, Remy. We can clean it up." Emile assured.

"I'll change my shirt," Remy said.

"I'll get a towel," Emile said.

They both walked out of the kitchen. Remy took his shirt off once he got into the living room as Emile got a towel. Emile tried hard not to stare at Remy's chest as he passed by with a towel and went into the kitchen to clean up the mess.

Remy walked into the kitchen with a black shirt on, "Need any help?"

"Nope, I got this," Emile responded, happy to know that Remy wanted to help. He has always lived alone in his house ever since he was twenty. Now, he was twenty-three. Three years of living alone... you would think he would get used to it.

But nope.

~~~~~

After Emile cleaned up the spill, the blender was broken completely. Remy sighed and decided to throw it away and get a new one.

Remy sat down on the couch, "Virgil will be here any minute. He's going to be upset that I let the blender break..."

"He'll be disappointed, yes. But, he's your cousin, he will forgive you." Emile sat next to Remy.

"You always see the good in things, don't you?" Remy asked.

"Yep." Emile nodded. Topaz hopped up onto the couch and decided to lay in Remy's lap. Emile smiled, "Aw..."

Then the door opened and Virgil scrambled inside with his stuff like always.

"I'm home!" Virgil called.

"We're right here," Remy said.

"We-?" Virgil turned and saw Emile sitting next to Remy, "Oh, sup, Emile."

"Heya, Virgil," Emile said. He then stood up, "I should get going now. I'll see you later, Remy."

"See ya, babe," Remy said as Emile left the house.

"What'd you guys do?" Virgil asked, shoving his stuff into a recliner and sitting next to Remy to pet Topaz.

"We made smoothies and Topaz knocked over and broke the blender," Remy said.

"Topaz?" Virgil looked at the puppy, "Is this Topaz?"

"Yeah." Remy nodded.

"And you broke the blender?" Virgil asked.

"Yep..." Remy muttered.

Virgil sighed, "I seriously cannot leave you alone for one day..."

Then Remy felt his phone buzz. He took it out of his pocket and saw it was an email from Black Lily Cafe. He tapped it and read through it, a smile growing on his face.

"What is it?" Virgil questioned.

"I got the job!" Remy exclaimed.

"What? No way!" Virgil grabbed Remy's phone and looked at the email, "Oh my god, you did! You start tomorrow."

"Yep, which is why I need to go to bed because I have to get up very early," Remy said.

"How early?" Virgil asked.

"Seven."

"Wow, that is early..."

Remy nodded and took his phone back. He put Topaz on the floor and looked at Virgil, "What are we having for dinner?"

"Chinese takeout," Virgil said.

"Alright, can't wait."

Remy was excited to have gotten a job at his favorite coffee shop but was nervous as well.

 _'I can do this... I just have to be confident in myself.'_ Remy thought.

That's all he had to do- other than wipe down tables and make drinks, of course.


	4. { 4 }

**Warnings: None, surprisingly.**

~~~~~~~~~~

"And these are the coffee makers." Holly, the manager, said with a smile. She had spiky black hair and green eyes.

"Alright, got it." Remy nodded. He was wearing a black apron with a yellow lily emblem on it. His nametag was clipped onto his apron, saying 'Remy K.' on it.

"You'll be wiping down tables first," Holly said and gave Remy a rag. Remy nodded and took the rag. Holly pointed to a red-haired guy wearing an apron, "If you need any help, ask Kellan and he'll help you."

Remy nodded as Holly went back to her office. Remy started to wipe down some tables that were empty and had crumbs on them.

"You're Remy, right?" Asked a voice. Remy looked up and saw a blonde-haired girl wearing an apron. Remy nodded and the girl looked him up and down, "My name is Circe."

"Nice to meet you," Remy said.

"Right... I work the coffee makers, so if you need anything, just ask." Circe walked away, her hips swaying.

Remy shook his head and continued to clean.

~~~~~

Remy was walking home, still wearing his apron. He glanced around at the scenery, looking at the sky, the birds, and even the leaves that shifted in the wind.

Remy loved Summer.

He hadn't been on a vacation in so long though that he had forgotten what it was like to even be on a vacation.

Maybe Virgil had found something for them to do before Summer ends.

Remy unlocked the door to the house and walked inside. He closed the door and saw Topaz who was barking happily. Remy kneeled down, "Good boy, Topaz. You waited for me to get home just like a good dog."

Topaz jumped all over Remy, licking his face all over. Remy laughed and picked Topaz up, taking him to the couch.

"Let's see what TV has in store for us." Remy grabbed the remote and turned the TV on, flipping through the programs. Topaz sat in Remy's lap, watching TV with his owner.

They watched TV until Virgil finally got home with groceries.

"Hey, Remy? Can you help me with this?" Virgil asked as he handled ten bags in his hands.

"Oh, sure." Remy got up, leaving Topaz on the couch. He got five bags from Virgil and they went into the kitchen to put them away. Remy put the frozen stuff in the freezer, "How much did you get?"

"Enough to last us a month, duh," Virgil said, putting the cold stuff in the fridge.

"Fair enough." Remy said, "What are we having for dinner?"

"I have no idea... maybe pasta." Virgil shrugged.

"Sounds good to me."

~~~~~

Emile was sprawled out on his bed, bored. Ruby and Sapphire were sleeping in their beds.

He sighed and looked at his phone, wondering if he should call Remy. He reached out to it, but his hand stopped. Instead, he heaved himself out of bed to make himself some dinner.

He walked downstairs. He was living in a medium-sized house, so none of the bedrooms were really used unless some of his relatives were visiting.

He got out stuff to make a salad. He was a light-eater because of the medication he took, so he always had small snacks around the kitchen.

He made a bowl of salad and got a fork out. He frowned and sat down at the table to eat.

Emile didn't like eating alone, he didn't like living alone. He knew he had his dogs, but he wished he had a roommate.

His mind wandered to Remy for a bit, wondering what his story was.

Everyone has a story they would rather not talk about, but Emile was sometimes too observant. He wondered what Remy's story was to make him move in with his cousin.

Emile saw that Remy always wore sunglasses, even when inside. Remy's posture wasn't straight and he always looked depressed.

 _'Maybe... it was an ex?'_ Emile wondered, _'Possibly...'_

Emile finished up with eating and put his bowl in the sink, rinsing it out.

He walked upstairs and to his room. He grabbed his phone and noticed he had a message from someone. He tapped it and saw it was Janus.

J: Hey... can the appointment be earlier than the one you assigned?

E: Of course! We can do tomorrow at 3?

J: That's fine... thanks, Doctor.

E: No problem, goodnight, Janus.

Emile put his phone down, _'I wonder what happened to Janus...'_

He took a shower, brushed his teeth, and put on his Steven Universe pajamas. He got into bed and turned the lamp off.

 _'I hope it's nothing horrible...'_ Emile thought.

It took him about two hours to finally relax and go to sleep, but at least he did.


	5. { 5 }

**Warnings: More depressed Janus, ex-friend, panic mention, abuse mention, swearing.**

~~~~~~~~~~

Emile slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the time. His eyes widened once he saw that it was 11.

 _'I'm late!'_ He thought as he rushed out of bed to get ready, _'Ugh, how did I manage to sleep in!?'_

Emile hurriedly took a shower, changed into his clothes, brushed his teeth, grabbed an apple, and he slipped his shoes on.

He got his keys and made sure the dogs were fed before he sprinted out of the house and made his way to the bus stop.

He heaved a slow sigh and sat on the bench as he waited for the bus.

"Emile?" A voice spoke up.

Emile looked up and his eyes widened, "Kameron!?"

The guy continued looking at his ex-friend. Kameron chuckled slightly and sighed, "Still mad at me?"

"Of course I am, you jerk." Emile stood up from the bench as he saw the bus coming.

"I'm sorry-" He got cut off.

"I don't want to hear it." Emile glared at him and got on the bus.

Emile sat down in the back and looked down at his hands. His hands were shaking. He knew he was scared about seeing him again, he was just bound to be after seeing Kameron.

 _'What is he even doing back here? I thought he moved.'_ Emile thought. He then thought of his happy place, so he relaxed a bit.

Emile got to work at 12:10. He apologized to his boss for being late and then went to his office to wait for his first patient.

~~~~~

It was 3 and Emile was waiting for Janus to enter. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Emile called. The door opened, revealing Janus, "Do you how do, Janus?"

"Terrible." He muttered, closing the door. He sat down on the couch and sighed.

"What's been going on?" Emile asked.

"Just... a lot." Janus fiddled with his fingers, "A few days ago, Remus went to a party and forgot to tell me, so I was worried about him and I didn't get any sleep that night. He came home around 3 and saw me panicking, so he had to calm me down."

Emile wrote something on his clipboard and heard a faint clicking sound. His eyes wandered over to Janus' left hand to see a small black fidget cube.

"Where'd you get that?" Emile asked.

"Hm...?" Janus hummed and looked at his hand to the fidget cube, "Oh, Remus gave it to me yesterday. It's to help me cope."

"That was nice of him." Emile smiled a bit.

"Yeah... he's great." Janus' eyes had tears in them.

"What's wrong?"

"M-My brother contacted me..."

"Your brother...? I thought he didn't know where you were."

"Appar-Apparently he does now..." Janus sniffed.

"Have you tried getting a restraining order?" Emile asked.

"I can't. I have no evidence of him abusing me... I just have to deal with him myself until I do." Janus said.

"I can help."

"Dr. Picani, you don't have to-"

"I know I don't, but I feel the need to. You have grown to be my friend, Janus. And friends help each other, right?" Emile smiled.

Janus was silent for a second, then he smiled a bit, "Right."

~~~~~

Remy was looking around the store for a new blender. He looked at his phone since Virgil said to get a specific one.

"Ugh, why does this blender have so many numbers in it?" Remy muttered and looked around.

Then he saw the blender he was looking for. He sighed in relief and picked up the box and put it in the cart.

"Okay... that should be it. Unless there are some guys I can flirt with, I think I'm good." Remy muttered. Then he heard someone chuckle behind him. Remy turned and saw a tall person, about 6'5, tan skin, brown slightly curled hair, brown eyes, white shirt with a red lion on it, black jeans, and red shoes. Remy shifted his sunglasses down his nose, "And you are...?"

"Kameron Marz." He said.

"Remy Knight. Nice to meet you." Remy pushed his sunglasses up.

"I seem to have lost my number, can I have yours?" Kameron asked.

"Is that all you got? That's the oldest pick-up line out there." Remy smirked.

"Do you have something better?"

"Do you like raisins? How do you feel about a date?"

Kameron's eyes widened a bit, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"I don't." Remy said.

"Do you have feelings for anyone?"

"I-" Remy cut off. His eyes widened and his mind went blank. He thought for a bit.

Who _did_ he like?

"I do." Remy said without thinking, _'Wait what? No, I don't! Wait, do I? I dunno!'_

Kameron looked over to Remy's cart, "Oh, you must be busy, so I can't keep you waiting for too long. Bye, Remy."

Kameron passed, touching shoulders with Remy, leaving Remy speechless.

Remy sighed and paid for the blender, leaving the store.

~~~~~

Remy placed the box with the blender on the counter and looked at the time.

Almost dinnertime.

Remy sat down on the couch and heaved a sigh. It was silent in the house as Virgil was still at work and Topaz was sleeping peacefully in his doggy bed after a long day of running around the house chasing imaginary mice.

Remy felt his pocket for his phone when he felt something else. He took it out and saw it was a folded up piece of paper. Remy unfolded it and saw a phone number with the words 'call me <3' on it.

"That sly bastard snuck this in while I wasn't looking..." Remy laughed a bit, "Oh, I should've seen it coming from someone like him."

Remy looked at the piece of paper. His mind wandered to Emile as his heart started beating faster. Then his mind wandered to Kameron and his heart was also beating the same pace.

The guy sighed, "Oh, fuck..."


End file.
